It’s been said, and it’s true, that the best form of marketing is word of mouth. So, if that’s the case, why aren’t you talking? Talking about your products, talking about your brand, talking about your services? These days we encourage people to engage on social media and online—but your ability to talk up your venture is better than anything else.

Sure the elevator pitch is great, but there are other ways of talking up your product offering. If you’re in business, start chatting up everyone you meet. In fact, if you have a dream of any kind you want to realize and it might include the general public—you need to start talking now.

The key is being perceptive about when to inject your business into a conversation and how to do that. If you sell ribbons and you meet a woman with three little girls, you might not want to start the conversation with, “I sell ribbons. I see you have three little girls with hair, so you’d probably be interested in my products.” That’s kind of awkward. Instead, try to have a conversation that you can eventually steer toward your products and services.

A better way would be to talk about something platonic but tangentially related to your product and the person’s need. Remember, in sales asking questions is a great way to learn how to sale to a customer. So during your conversation, you want to ask a few questions about “Oh, you did a great job. Where do you usually buy ribbons for the girls?” Keep the conversation going, then turn it slightly, and mention your products. There are a number of ways to do this. But, get creative! Talk!